According to the Background Art, inside/outside air-switching units of an air-conditioner for a vehicle may include an inside/outside air-switching box, which may include an inside air inlet for sucking air from inside a compartment of the vehicle and an outside air inlet for sucking air from outside the compartment, and also may include an inside/outside air-switching door for opening and closing the inside air inlet and the outside air inlet.
Further, the inside/outside air-switching box may include an auxiliary inside air inlet for sucking air from inside the compartment. The auxiliary inside air inlet may be opened and closed by an auxiliary door. Also, the auxiliary door may include an auxiliary rotational shaft and an auxiliary door portion for opening and closing the auxiliary inside air inlet.
FIG. 8 illustrates an inside/outside air-switching unit according to the Background Art.
In FIG. 8, the auxiliary inside air inlet 819 (disposed in the inside/outside air-switching box 811) may be rendered open and closed by the rotational position of the auxiliary door 820. The cover plate 830 may be fitted into a recess 811b formed by the configuration of recessed portion 811a of the inside/outside air-switching box 811.
The cover plate 830 may have a T-shaped cross-section. The stalk of the T-shape has a distal end 830a that may be concave and complementarily shaped with respect to the circumference of auxiliary rotational shaft 821. The auxiliary rotational shaft 821 may be held in place by being compressed between a recessed portion 811a of the inside/outside air-switching box 811 and the distal end 830a of the cover plate 830.
During operation according to a fresh intake mode, in which the inside/outside air-switching door (not shown) fully be positioned to fully open the outside a air inlet and to fully close the inside air inlet, air inside the compartment is not sucked into the inside/outside air-switching box 811 through the inside air inlet. However, the position of the auxiliary door 820 may be controlled to open the auxiliary inside air inlet 819, and the air inside the compartment may be sucked into the inside/outside air-switching box 811 through the auxiliary inside air inlet 819. As a result, the auxiliary inside air may assist in the heating of the outside air by mixing therewith in the inside/outside air-switching box 811.